News
International Middle East Media Center
Israeli Court Decides Not To File Charges Against Soldier Who Killed Nonviolent Protestor in Bil’in
IMEMC – Friday April 02, 2010 – 03:20, Despite a video clearly showing the death of Bassem Abu Rahma, who was shot in the chest by a gas bomb, an Israeli court decided Thursday that the killing that took place during a nonviolent protest against the Annexation Wall in Ni’lin near Ramallah, was not intentional.
Seven Israeli airstrikes hit different parts of Gaza; 2 children injured
IMEMC – Friday April 02, 2010 – 02:02, Shortly after midnight, early Friday morning, Israeli jets fired three missiles in the area of evacuated settlements along the Gaza coast, and fired one missile at a milk factory in al-Sabrah neighborhood in Gaza City. The factory was completely destroyed, and nearby homes were damaged. Two Palestinian children were injured by debris in that attack. A Palestinian police mobile operation center was targeted by a missile in central Gaza.
Right-wing Israelis, including legislators, occupy Ibrahimi mosque in Hebron for ‘celebration’
IMEMC – Friday April 02, 2010 – 00:51, Several thousand right-wing settlers and their supporters poured into the Palestinian city of Hebron Thursday and declared the site of the Ibrahimi mosque to be a part of the land of Israel. They held a celebration in the mosque, which is also the site of a 1994 massacre by Israeli right-winger Baruch Goldstein who killed 29 Palestinians praying. The celebration was in support of the Israeli government’s decision to declare the site a ‘national Israeli heritage site’, despite the fact that it is located well within Palestinian territory.
Israeli Police Break Into Media Office In East Jerusalem, Attack Locals and Visitors
IMEMC – Friday April 02, 2010 – 00:35, The Israeli Police attacked on Thursday Wadi Hilwa Media Center, in Silwan’s Wadi Hilwa neighborhood, in occupied East Jerusalem, and violently attacked employees and visitors, leading to several injuries, the Palestine News Network (PNN) reported.
Israeli army fails to safely escort Palestinian children to and from school
IMEMC – Thursday April 01, 2010 – 23:30, For three consecutive days Palestinian school children from Maghayir al Abeed and Tuba, near Hebron in the southern West Bank, were subjected to unprofessional conduct by Israeli soldiers. Army personnel did not show up at the appropriate time, forcing children to wait in unsafe areas were they have experienced past attacks. When the army did finally arrive, they proceeded to yell at the children. On one occasion, the army failed to complete the escort, resulting in harassment of the children by settlers.
Israeli Military Court Release Nonviolent Activists And Politicians On Bail
IMEMC – Thursday April 01, 2010 – 17:13, On Thursday the Israeli military court of Ofer ordered the release of 9 Palestinian nonviolent activists and a politician that were detained by the army on Sunday.
Six Palestinian Civilians Detained By Israeli Troops From West Bank Areas
IMEMC – Thursday April 01, 2010 – 16:00, Five Palestinian civilians were detained on Thursday by Israeli troops during morning invasions targeting West Bank communities; another shepherd was detained while herding his sheep.
Egypt Uncovers Weapons Cache Believed To be Bound To Gaza
IMEMC – Thursday April 01, 2010 – 11:18, The Egyptian Security Forces managed to local and seize a large cache of missiles and mortars in an area in northern Sinai. The supplies are believed to be bound for the Gaza Strip.
Israeli Army, Navy, Bombards Beit Lahia
IMEMC – Thursday April 01, 2010 – 10:35, The Israeli Navy opened fire at Palestinian fishermen near the Beit Lahia coast, while Israeli tanks fired several shells at area in the north of the city, local sources reported Thursday.
Israeli Drones Drop Warning Leaflets on Gaza, Vow “Retaliation”
IMEMC – Thursday April 01, 2010 – 09:58, Palestinian sources reported Thursday that Israeli drones dropped during late night hours hundreds of warning leaflets on areas along the border between the Gaza Strip and Israel warning the residents to prepare for an offensive.
Israeli warplanes fire on Gaza
4/2/2010 – Khan Younis – Ma’an – Israeli warplanes launched attacks across the Gaza Strip early Friday, destroying several buildings. A Ma’an reporter in Khan Younis said the aircraft bombed three targets in that area, including a site housing Hamas’ Al-Aqsa TV network. In Gaza City, warplanes targeted the Daloul cheese and diary factory in the Sabra neighborhood. Houses were damaged nearby. Aircraft fired two missiles at a police station in the Nusseirat refugee camp in addition to other sites in central Gaza, including a telecommunications company. Dr Muawiya Hassanein, director of ambulance services in the Gaza Health Ministry, said no one was reported injured. He told Ma’an that “only material damage” had resulted from the strikes. In accordance with an emergency plan developed for renewed Israeli attacks, ambulances were mobilized throughout Gaza in anticipation of casualties.
Israel army ‘routinely’ fires on Palestinian journalists
4/1/2010 – Bethlehem – Ma’an – Reporters Without Borders has deplored the frequency of alleged press freedom violations by the Israeli military, whose forces the Paris-based press freedom group says routinely fire on Palestinian journalists. At least eight journalists were injured by shots fired by Israeli soldiers during March in the West Bank and Jerusalem.” The incidents continue with complete impunity,” Reporters Without Borders said.”The IDF soldiers involved are rarely punished and, less still, disowned by the superiors, who endorse the use of violence against media personnel. It is time this stopped.” In the most recent incident, Falestin TV journalist Harun Amayra was injured in the foot by a shot fired by an Israeli soldier while he was covering a peaceful demonstration marking Earth Day in Badras, a village to the west of Ramallah, on 30 March. Related:RSF: Palestinian journalists repeatedly targeted by IDF gunfire during March
Israel urged to lift gag order
4/2/2010 – New York – Ma’an – Press freedom advocates have condemned a gag order preventing Israeli news media from reporting that an Israeli journalist, Anat Kam, 23, has been held under house arrest for almost four months.”We would like to see the gag order lifted. It’s not really relevant anymore,” said Lucie Morillon of Reporters Without Borders (RSF).”We live in a very connected world,” added Morillon, who heads the Paris-based press freedom watchdog’s New Media Desk.”It can be read online, so this doesn’t make any sense,” she told Ma’an. RSF will back a group of journalists challenging the ban in court on 12 April. Israel’s Channel 10 plans to approach the courts sooner, pointing to the existence of foreign news reports, Ma’an has learned. In Morillon’s view, the order amounts to a violation of freedom of expression as it prevents discussion of the rationale behind Kam’s ongoing detention. Related:Israeli journalist held under secret house arrestandIsraeli journalist held under secret house arrest
Family visits for prisoners to stop, in protest of unequal treatment
4/1/2010 – Nablus – Ma’an – Palestinians in all Israeli detention centers will refuse family visits from Thursday 1 April to Friday 30 April in protest over the use of the visits by prison officials to manipulate detainees, prisoners announced. The first day of the strike, affecting more than 10,000 Palestinians in 13 Israeli detention centers and prison facilities, will be punctuated with a hunger strike, chairperson of the prisoners’ relatives committee in Nablus, Nagham Al-Khayyat, said. Detainees say families of Gaza prisoners are denied visiting permits entirely, that high-profile prisoners are denied family visits, that some visits must take place with family and prisoners separated by wire fences, that family members are treated without respect and civility, and that visits and treats against family members are used to intimidate and control prisoners.
Palm Sunday detainees released on bail
4/1/2010 – Ramallah – Ma’an – Israel’s Ofar military court will release PLO official Abbas Zaki and 11 other Palm Sunday detainees on Thursday, on the condition they post bail for their arrests at a protest in which Palestinians passed a military checkpoint. The group was part of a 150-strong protest on Sunday that marched toward a checkpoint in Bethlehem, voicing dissent over Israel’s refusal to allow Christians, particularly those granted religious travel permits, access to Jerusalem for the Palm Sunday march. Sources said Zaki was set to be released Wednesday, but he refused to leave the prison facility without the 11 others who were detained alongside him during the march that protested access restrictions for religious sites in Jerusalem for Christians during Easter. Zaki told the court that “my destiny is the same as the others,” and refused to even enter the court without the entire group.
Israel detains 4 from West Bank
4/1/2010 – Bethlehem – Ma’an – Israeli forces raided a number of areas in and around Ramallah overnight, police announced Thursday morning. Palestinian Authority police services reported that 21-year-olds Hamada Al-Lulu and Yousif As-Safi were detained in Al-Am’ari refugee camp. Israeli forces also raided Az-Zoun town in Qalqiliya and searched the house of Ali Rashed Radwan before detaining his son, Ahmad, 15. The forces also raided the Hindaza area in Bethlehem and detained Odeh At-Tiya Subeh, police said. An Israeli military spokesman confirmed the overnight detentions. He said three Palestinians were detained from Ramallah rather than two. [end]
Israeli journalist held under secret house arrest
4/2/2010 – New York – Ma’an – An Israeli journalist has been held secretly under house arrest for months, sources confirmed this week, amid allegations she obtained and leaked classified military information to an Israeli newspaper. Israel’s Shin Bet intelligence service has banned news media from mentioning the case or identifying the reporter, Anat Kam, 23, who former colleagues say worked for the Israeli news site Walla! until her arrest last December. A group of Israeli journalists will challenge the ban in court on 12 April, 48 hours before Kam goes on trial for espionage and treason. Prosecutors will claim she copied at least two classified military documents during her mandatory army service years earlier. These two documents are believed to have inspired a 2008 investigation by Haaretz reporter Uri Blau detailing Israeli army assassination procedures. Related:Israel urged to lift gag orderandIsraeli journalist held under secret house arrest
Israeli journalist held under secret house arrest
4/1/2010 – New York – Ma’an – An Israeli journalist has been held secretly under house arrest for months, sources confirmed this week, amid allegations she obtained and leaked classified military information to an Israeli newspaper. Israel’s Shin Bet intelligence service has banned news media from mentioning the case or identifying the reporter, Anat Kam, 23, who former colleagues say worked for the Israeli news site Walla! until her arrest last December. A group of Israeli journalists will challenge the ban in court on 12 April, 48 hours before Kam goes on trial for espionage and treason. Prosecutors will claim she copied at least two classified military documents during her mandatory army service years earlier. These two documents are believed to have inspired a 2008 investigation by Haaretz reporter Uri Blau detailing Israeli army assassination procedures. Related:Israel urged to lift gag orderandIsraeli journalist held under secret house arrest
Village: Elon Moreh settlers create new outpost
4/1/2010 – Nablus – Ma’an – Caravan homes, water tanks and tents were installed by settlers on lands belonging to the village of Deir Al-Hatab on Thursday, in what locals said appeared to be an attempt to create an outpost of Elon Moreh settlement. Head of the Deir Al-Hatab village council, Abdul Karim Hussein, said the outpost was set up in the early hours of the morning about 500 meters northeast of the village. An Israeli military spokesman said the settler presence was not a new outpost, but rather an area outside the settlement set aside for the celebration of Passover. The spokesman said the area was taken over by settlers with military authorization for the week of Passover, noting he expected it to be removed when the holidays finished. Hussein said there were dozens of settlers seen on the site, and speculated that the move was an attempt to gain access to a spring on the outskirts of the village.
Irish cargo ship to join Free Gaza fleet
4/1/2010 – Gaza – Ma’an – An Irish cargo ship will attempt to break the siege on the Gaza Strip this summer, activists announced Thursday. The International Campaign to Break the Siege on Gaza, in cooperation with the Network of National Palestinian Organizations, said the ship will join an international fleet organized by the Free Gaza Movement in July, a statement said. Peace organizations in Turkey, Sweden, Malaysia, Greece and Belgium are expected to join the fleet. The Irish vessel, named after Rachel Corrie, will carry 1,200 tons of aid in its journey to Gaza, as well as 500 tons of cement. Medical appliances, medications, and educational materials will also be taken. [end]
Boy detained as settlers rally in Silwan
4/2/2010 – Jerusalem – Ma’an – Israeli settlers and soldiers attacked Palestinians in occupied East Jerusalem on Thursday, onlookers said. Witnesses said the settlers broke into the local Ibda and Wad Helwa cultural centers in the East Jerusalem district of Silwan. A 15-year-old boy, Yezen Ammar Siam, was taken to an undisclosed location, according to witnesses in the flashpoint neighborhood. An Israeli police spokesman did not immediately return calls seeking comment. [end]
Bound, hidden, disabled Tulkarem girl faces poor odds
4/1/2010 – Tulkarem – Ma’an – “The Social Welfare department told me not to tie her, but I must, for fear of her behavior, or if she escapes,” 17-year-old Rahma’s mother said. Rahma and her mother widowed mother, Fatima Abdul Latif Ali, live in the Tulkarem-district town of Deir Al-Ghusun. She is the youngest of four girls; the others married, and suffers from severe developmental disabilities. For most of the day Rahma is tied up. An eight-foot canvas cloth binds her ankle to a bar on the window, from where she has access to a mattress on the floor. The room is dirty, the home is in disrepair. Rahma’s mother Fatima does not work, she has no income. She rarely leaves the house, just to buy groceries. She is afraid of traveling in a car. When she does leave the home, she puts an extra length of canvas chord around her daughter’s other ankle.
Two Gaza crossings partially open
4/1/2010 – Gaza – Ma’an – The Kerem Shalom and Karni crossings will open partially on Thursday, to allow limited food aid and fuel into Gaza, Israeli officials told Palestinian liaison officers. Crossings officer Raed Fattouh said he was told that between 99 to 109 truckloads of goods for the commercial and agricultural sectorswould be allowed through the Kerem Shalom crossing, at the southernmost tip of the Israel-Gaza border. The same terminal will see the transfer of limited amounts of cooking gas and industrial diesel, Fattouh added, while the northern crossing, Karni, would transport 149 truckloads of wheat and animal feed into Gaza. The day marks the second in a row that two crossings into Gaza were opened. Israeli officials have, since August, opened both crossings at most two days a week, with the majority of supplies entering the Strip at the southern Kerem Shalom.
Kerosene stove explodes killing young woman in Jabaliya
4/1/2010 – Gaza – Ma’an – The explosion of a kerosene stove killed a woman from the Jabaliya refugee camp north of Gaza on Wednesday, marking April’s first casualty from power-related accidents. The woman was identified by Muawiya Hassanein, ambulance and emergency services director in Gaza, as Amani Al-Majdalawi, 23, who died before she could be transferred to a hospital in Israel.”The continued deterioration in power supply has increased the reliance of the population on electrical generators run by fuel,” the UN body’s Weekly Protection of Civilians report said, citing the injury of five children of the same family aged five to 15 in Beit Lahiya when a generator exploded in their home. In March, seven were killed when gas canisters, kerosene stoves and generators exploded or malfunctioned, with half a dozen other cases since January.
111 Gaza residents exit Strip with religious permits
4/1/2010 – Gaza – Ma’an – Passenger traffic in and out of Gaza was low last week, the de facto government monitoring committee reported, with reduced traffic at both the Erez and Rafah crossings. At Egypt’s Rafah, 228 entered via the southern pedestrian terminal, the report said, mostly patients finished treatment in the neighboring country. There was no traffic exiting the Strip via the crossing, and three who left were under special coordination. On the border with Israel, the Erez crossing saw the departure of 153 individuals, comprised of 85 Gaza residents (55 with visitor permits, 11 patients, 16 companions 2 with work permits, 1 visitor) 58 foreign nationals and 10 Palestinian citizens of Israel. Entering Gaza at Erez were 147 individuals, 106 of whom were Gaza residents (22 patients, 21 companions, 3 visitors 3 work permits, 56 religious permits and 1 other), 40 foreign nationals and one Palestinian citizen of Israel.
Hamas urged to stay Gaza executions
4/1/2010 – Bethlehem – Ma’an – Amnesty International has urged the government in Gaza not to carry out several pending death sentences, after high-ranking officials signalled their intention to execute those convicted of collaboration with Israel and murder. It is reported that these executions, which would be the first to be carried out in Gaza since 2005, may be carried out in the next few days. Since seizing control of Gaza in 2007, Hamas has not carried out executions although its military courts have continued to hand down death sentences after proceedings that Amnesty International insists have failed to meet international standards for fair trial.”Hamas must not start carrying out executions. That would be a profoundly retrograde step and go against the emerging trend towards a worldwide moratorium on executions,” said Malcolm Smart, director of Amnesty International’s Middle East and North Africa Programme.
Farmers demand right to visit farmland
4/1/2010 – Jerusalem – Ma’an – Residents of Al-Eisawieyah, northeast of Jerusalem, held a sit-in Friday at the town’s entrance in protest of a policy preventing them from accessing their lands. The Al-Quds Center for Social and Economic Rights quoted Hani Al-Eisawie, one of the landowners, and members of the local popular committee as saying that “soldiers did not explain to the owners of the lands the reasons behind this act.””Residents are determined to reach their lands, which are more that 2,500 donums, particularly after the confiscation decision,” Al-Eisawie said in a statement issued by the center’s research and documentation unit. Another resident said Israeli officers had informed the owners of the lands to go to court in order to receive a decision allowing them to reach their lands, without which they will not be allowed to do so. . . . .
Officials deny reports of Gaza warning leaflets
4/1/2010 – Gaza – Ma’an – Israeli planes threw thousands of leaflets onto border areas of the Gaza Strip overnight, residents reported, as they woke up to read a paper saying “Await the response tomorrow.”The paper pictured a child carrying a flower, with the Arabic phrase, Intdhar al-rud ghada in script over top. Witnesses said the warnings were dropped in several places, including east of Khan Younis where Friday violence killed two resistance fighters and two Israeli soldiers. Other pamphlets were reportedly dropped in the Johr Ad-Dik area on the eastern border of the central Strip. An Israeli military spokesman said he was unfamiliar with any such action in Gaza. Further denials came from de facto government Ministry of the Interior officials, who said no fliers were dropped overnight. Spokesman of the ministry Ihab Al-Ghusein said investigations into the issue found the reports to have been false,. . .
Israel army: 1 hurt by stones in Hebron
4/1/2010 – Bethlehem – Ma’an – An Israeli citizen was lightly injured when Palestinians threw rocks at a bus entering Hebron, the army said Thursday. An military spokesman Palestinians tossed stones at an Israeli bus that entered Hebron by mistake. One woman was lightly injured, the official said. The bus also sustained damage, he said. [end]
Israeli mobile companies banned from PA cities
4/2/2010 – Hebron – Ma’an – As part of the Palestinian Authority government’s plan to boycott Israeli settlement goods, the Ministry of Telecommunications issued a ban on the sale of SIM cards and phone credit for Israeli mobile companies, officials announced Thursday. Undersecretary of the Ministry of Communications and Information Technology Suleiman Az-Zuhary told Ma’an radio’s On The Table broadcast that Israeli mobile phone services are provided in the West Bank via towers in settlements, on occupied Palestinian land, and should thus be subject to the boycott of settlement goods. The Israeli mobile companies, which work in most of the West Bank, northern Gaza and all of the Palestinian villages in Israel, receive at least 120 million US dollars a year in Palestinian customer payments, Az-Zuhary told radio hosts. Palestinian mobile providers Jawwal and Wataniya, Az-Zuhary said, are prohibited. . .
Interior Ministry: No talks to expand PA rule
4/2/2010 – Bethlehem – Ma’an – The Palestinian Authority Ministry of the Interior on Thursday denied news reports in the Israeli media that its minister was in the United States to discuss expanding PA control over parts of the West Bank. Israeli news reports had suggested Interior Minister Saeed Abu Ali departed for Washington for security consultations along with Ziyad Hab Al-Rih, the head of the Ramallah-based Preventative Security Service. Ministry spokesman Ghassan Al-Khatib denied such talks were on the agenda.”The news reports are inaccurate regarding the purpose of the visit,” Al-Khatib said in an interview with Ma’an radio.”It’s true the interior minister is in the US, but the trip has nothing to do with proposals to expand the authority of the Palestinian Authority.”Denying further reports that the visit was a sign that the PA had accepted an Israeli proposal to expand its jurisdiction. . .
Report: German negotiator back in region
4/1/2010 – Bethlehem – Ma’an/Agencies – A German mediator involved in efforts to secure the release of a captive Israeli soldier is back on the job, according to Italian media quoted Thursday by the Hebrew-language daily Yedioth Ahronoth. Palestinian sources reportedly told an Italian news agency that the mediator will attempt to advance a swap soon. The founder of Hamas’ Al-Qassam Brigades in the West Bank arrived in Damascus on Tuesday, following an agreement with Israeli officials last week to release him on the condition he be exiled. Saleh Al-Aruri was freed from Israeli prison and forced into exile along with his wife and mother, according to Al-Qassam’s Web site. Jordanian officials refused to accept Al-Aruri two weeks ago, and the three were forced back into the West Bank until they received permission to travel to the Syrian capital, the site reported.
Report: PA officials in US for security consultation
4/1/2010 – Bethlehem – Ma’an/Agencies – Palestinian Authority Interior Minister Saeed Abu Ali departed for Washington on Thursday for security consultations, Israeli news reports said. The Hebrew-language daily Yedioth Ahronoth reported that Ziyad Hab Al-Rih, the head of the Ramallah-based Preventative Security Service, joined the minister for the talks. According to the report, the meetings are aimed at examining the PA’s readiness to take full security control of additional territories in the West Bank currently run by Israel. The discussions are reportedly to involve how the PA’s command would handle trust-building measures Israel and the PA want as a precondition for launching indirect peace talks. . . . .
Report: Russia tells Hamas to stop projectiles
4/1/2010 – Bethlehem – Ma’an/Agencies – Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov has reportedly urged Hamas chief Khaled Mash’al to stop militants in Gaza from firing rockets against Israel. The foreign minister made his request on Wednesday in a telephone meeting, which covered a variety of issues regarding the Middle East, the Israeli daily Haaretz quoted Russian news agencies as reporting. Israel’s army announced Friday that a projectile fired from the Gaza Strip landed inside Israeli territory late Thursday night. There were no reports of damage or injury, a military spokesman told Ma’an. [end]
Israeli planes carry out several attacks on Gaza
Ha’aretz 1 Apr 2010 – Witnesses said IAF planes carried out at least seven attacks; two children reported slightly wounded.
IDF trying to boost China ties ahead of Iran sanctions vote
Ha’aretz 1 Apr 2010 – IDF to present the Chinese with Israel’s view on Iran’s drive toward nuclear military capability.
Shin Bet: Terror-related attacks on the rise in March
Ha’aretz 1 Apr 2010 – Report notes 125 attacks as opposed to 53 in February, while Gaza and Jerusalem see most drastic rise.
Hamas footage hints at extent of group’s role in Gaza clashes
Ha’aretz 1 Apr 2010 – Video shows part of last week’s Gaza border clash, in which two Golani Brigade soldiers were killed.
Palestinians: IDF drops leaflets over Gaza warning of imminent attack
Ha’aretz 1 Apr 2010 – Army denies ‘wait for response tomorrow’ notices; navy fires at Gaza fishing boat in off-limits waters.
Hezbollah: Israel planning to destroy Al-Aqsa mosque
Ha’aretz 1 Apr 2010 – Syrian President Assad and Lebanese Druze leader meet after 5-year feud, discuss ‘importance of resistance against Israel.’
Egypt discovers massive arms cache destined for Gaza
Ha’aretz 1 Apr 2010 – Security forces find 100 anti-aircraft missiles, 40 RPGs and 40 others explosive devices in Sinai depot.
IDF won’t investigate death of Bil’in activist from tear gas grenade
Ha’aretz 1 Apr 2010 – A year after activist Bassem Abu Rahmeh was killed by the IDF, the military prosecution decided not investigate his death.
Hamas releases footage of ‘Gaza clashes’
Ha’aretz 1 Apr 2010 – Military wing of Hamas shows documentation of incident wherein two IDF soldiers were killed.
IDF soldier laid to rest after killed by friendly fire
Ha’aretz 1 Apr 2010 – IDF St.-Sgt. Gabriel Cepic was killed by friendly fire near Kissufim during pursuit of infiltrators.
Israeli troops shoot dead Palestinian boy in West Bank
Ha’aretz 1 Apr 2010 – Sixteen-year-old killed by IDF rifle fire during violent protest outside Nablus, medics say.
‘Israel will defend itself from Gaza rockets, regardless of Goldstone’
Ha’aretz 1 Apr 2010 – IAF strikes six targets in Gaza in response to Qassam rocket attack that killed a man Thursday.
Jordan’s Abdullah: Israel trying to rid Jerusalem of Arabs
Ha’aretz 1 Apr 2010 – Comment comes as Israel opens Temple Mount after a day of fierce clashes with rioting Palestinians.
IDF denies killing Palestinian teen on Gaza border
Ha’aretz 1 Apr 2010 – Army rebuffs Palestinian media claims that it killed 15-year-old as he tried to enter Israel.
IAF conducts first missile-defense system test
Ha’aretz 1 Apr 2010 – Just how well will the air force’s multi-layered technology protect Israel from rocket attacks?
Barak: Hamas will pay for shaking equilibrium on Gaza border
Ha’aretz 1 Apr 2010 – Defense minister visits IDF troops who fought in Friday’s Gaza gunbattle in which two soldiers were killed.
Netanyahu: Israel will respond to any attack
Ha’aretz 1 Apr 2010 – PM says Hamas will be made to be held accountable for the attack that killed 2 IDF soldiers in Gaza.
Thousands mourn IDF officer and soldier killed in Gaza
Ha’aretz 1 Apr 2010 – Major Eliraz Peretz’s best friend: We will avenge your death against those who hurt you.
Hamas is reminding the world it exists
Ha’aretz 1 Apr 2010 – Hamas is satisfied with media coverage of the recent Gaza clashes, but it still isn’t interested in inciting war.
Amos Harel / Israel’s border with Egypt is like the Wild West
Ha’aretz 1 Apr 2010 – PM wants to build a fence along the Egyptian border, as tensions rise over the refugee question.
Palestinian journalists repeatedly targeted by IDF gunfire during March
Uruknet April 1, 2010 – Reporters Without Borders deplores the frequency of press freedom violations by the Israel Defence Forces, which routinely fire on Palestinian journalists. At least eight journalists were injured by shots fired by Israeli soldiers during March in the West Bank and Jerusalem. “The incidents continue with complete impunity,” Reporters Without Borders said. “The IDF soldiers involved are…
Israeli journalist held under secret house arrest
Uruknet April 1, 2010 – An Israeli journalist has been held secretly under house arrest for months, sources confirmed this week, amid allegations she obtained and leaked classified military information to an Israeli newspaper. Israel’s Shin Bet intelligence service has banned news media from mentioning the case or identifying the reporter, Anat Kam, 23, who former colleagues say worked for the…
Weekly Report On Israeli Human Rights Violations in the Occupied Palestinian Territory (25-31 March 2010)
Uruknet April 1, 2010 – Israeli violations of international law and humanitarian law continued in the OPT during the reporting period (25 31 March 2010): Shooting: During the reporting period, IOF killed two Palestinian brothers in the Gaza Strip, and wounded 18 other Palestinians, including 3 children, a resistance activist and a journalist, in West Bank and the Gaza Strip….
Palestinian boy detained as settlers rally in Silwan
Uruknet April 1, 2010 Israeli settlers and soldiers attacked Palestinians in occupied East Jerusalem on Thursday, onlookers said. Witnesses said the settlers broke into the local Ibda and Wad Helwa cultural centers in the East Jerusalem district of Silwan. A 15-year-old boy, Yezen Ammar Siam, was taken to an undisclosed location, according to witnesses in the flashpoint neighborhood…
Irish cargo ship to join Free Gaza fleet
Uruknet April 1, 2010 – An Irish cargo ship will attempt to break the siege on the Gaza Strip this summer, activists announced Thursday. The International Campaign to Break the Siege on Gaza, in cooperation with the Network of National Palestinian Organizations, said the ship will join an international fleet organized by the Free Gaza Movement in July, a statement said….
Israeli Settlers Try To Take Over Land Slated For New Palestinian Town
Uruknet March 31, 2010 – Early Wednesday morning, near the central West Bank town of Bir Zeit, a group of Israeli settlers attempted to take over buildings and land that has been designated by the Palestinian Authority for the construction of Rawabi, the first centrally-planned Palestinian town. Around 60 settlers associated with the group “Youth for the Land of Israel” hung…
PHOTO ESSAY ~~ THEY DIED SO THAT WE CAN LIVE, AND THEIR SPIRIT LIVES ONLand Day 2010
Uruknet March 31, 2010 – For a quarter of a century, the Palestinian minority in Israel has celebrated Land Day on 30 March 30 as a protest against Israel’s discriminatory policies toward its one million Palestinian citizens and to underline its collective and individual rights. Land Day, or Yoam al-‘Ard in Arabic, is also a commemoration of the bloody confrontations with…
IOF assaults on Land Day demos: 4 youths shot at close range
Uruknet March 31, 2010 – Four non-violent demonstrators were shot at close range with live ammunition by Israeli soldiers during six simultaneous protests throughout the Gaza Strip commemorating “Land Day”. Three of those injured come from Khoza’a, a village east of Khan Younis in Gaza’s south. The fourth, from Deir al Balah, was participating in a peaceful demonstration east of Meghazi,…
The PA Abuses Journalists to Protect the Occupation
Uruknet March 31, 2010 – Two days ago the Israeli military arrested a leader of Fatah and the Palestinian Authority, Abbas Zaki, during his participation in a peaceful demo in Bethlehem demanding the freedom of movement and worship on the sidelines of the celebrations of Palm Sunday, and transferred him to Ofer prison. This crime took place under the silence of…
Benevolent Occupier Allows Clothes to Reach Victims
Uruknet March 31, 2010 – As a gesture of its peaceful intentions, Israel yesterday announced to great fanfare that it would allow shoes and clothes into the besieged Gaza Strip for the first time in three years. Israeli spokesmen said the import of the dangerous materials was designed to ensure Gazans don’t fall too behind in the latest fashion trends, and…
Museum of Tolerance Desecrates Graves
Uruknet March 31, 2010 – Rabbi Marvin Hier’s Los Angeles-based Museum of Tolerance, part of the Simon Wiesenthal Center, is building a $150 million branch in Jerusalem. The Museum, whose mission is confronting “global anti-Semitism, extremism, hate and promoting unity and respect among Jews and people of all faiths,” is being built atop part of the Mamilla Muslim cemetery, some…
Why Did Iraqis in Fallujah Vote For the Man Who Let the U.S. Destroy Their City?
Uruknet March 31, 2010 – In his insurgent days, Abdullah Messir would hear Fallujah’s clerics decry the former Iraqi prime minister Iyad Allawi as an infidel and a traitor. But in last month’s parliamentary elections, Messir and thousands of people from his city hailed Allawi as their leader, contributing to the electoral success of a politician who presided over a ferocious…
Settlers occupying a land in Nablus
West Bank, April 1 st , (Pal Telegraph) The chairman of a village council in Deir al-Hatab, Abdul Karim Hussein, reported today, that dozens of settlers from “Alon Moreh” settlement put a number of caravans and mobile homes in addition to tents and water tanks near a water well that is not far more than 500 meters from the village of…
IOF beefing up in preparations of religious celebrations
Jerusalem, April 1 st , (Pal Telegraph) Israeli police beefed up their spread around the Old City of Jerusalem, and within and surroundings of Al Aqsa Mosque and distributed thousands of them in case of any emergency on the eve of the Good Friday and Holy Saturday Christian celebrations, and to coincide with the Jewish festival of Passover, and the Declaration…
Gaza Interior Ministry: no Israeli warning leaflets
Ehab Al-Ghsain Hamas Interior Ministry spokesman Gaza, April 1, 2010 (Pal Telegraph) – Ehab Al-Ghsain, a Hamas Interior Ministry spokesman, said that the published news about the Israeli warning leaflets is not true. Palestinians reported that Israel aircrafts dropped thousands of leaflets overnight, warning residents to “wait for the response tomorrow.” He said that after verifying the news which reported…
Speculations about Zaki’s release Today
Ramallah, April 1 st , (Pal Telegraph) Palestinian sources confirmed the indications of a possible release today of the captive member of the Central Committee of Fatah, Abbas Zaki, , by setting a fine he should pay during a court hearing, which is still in session in Ofer militant prison. According to those sources that confirmed the release of Zaki should have…
Palestinian director Mahmoud Bakri enters hospital
West bank, April 1 st , (Pal Telegraph) Mohammed Bakri, the Arabic actor and director, was transferred to the Rambam hospital in Haifa last night, after he suffered a severe heart attack, he arrived at the hospital via ambulance and was admitted immediately to the emergency department at the hospital for immediate treatment, where his condition was described as serious and…
Bahraini players say no to Palestine football match
The National 31 Mar 2010 – Players reject friendly match in West Bank because they don’t want passports stamped by Israeli authorities.
Turkish leaders frustrated with Tehran’s nuclear vacillation
The National 31 Mar 2010 – Ankara faces a critical test as the row over Iran’s nuclear programme continues to dominate debate within the international community.
Palestinians cynical over US pressure on Israel to freeze settlements
The National 31 Mar 2010 – Palestinians hold out little hope for any talks emerging from US pressure to accept a four-month settlement halt.
Likud MK: President ‘Hussein Obama’ won’t remove us from Hebron
Palestine Note 1 Apr 2010 – The Passover holiday took thousands of Israelis to the Cave of Patriarchs (also known as El-Ibrahimi Mosque) in Hebron to celebrate the new addition to Israel’s “Heritage Trail.” The trip was initiated by the “Land of…
Israel carries out aerial attacks on Gaza
Palestine Note 1 Apr 2010 – Israeli planes and helicopters have launched seven missile attacks on the Gaza Strip early Friday morning, Reuters reports via Haaretz . A military spokesperson says the attacks are targeted on Palestinian munitions sites. Four of the strikes…
Bashir’s main opponents all drop out
Palestine Note 1 Apr 2010 – Sudanese president Omar al-Bashir has essentially won his country’s April 11 presidential election — ten days before the vote! — after Sudan’s leading opposition parties all withdrew their candidates over the last 24 hours. Yasir Arman,…
A Gulf experience
Palestine Note 1 Apr 2010 – While I was listening to my Bahraini friends talk about problems they face in their country, Israel’s challenges seemed so much smaller. I am writing from a Gulf Air flight from Bahrain to Amman after attending…
Call it “elections in Sudan”
Palestine Note 1 Apr 2010 – The Iraqi elections are over but failed to produce a clear winner. While former Prime Minister Iyad Allawi narrowly finished first in the poll, it might take weeks before we find out if he’ll be able…
What accountability?
Palestine Note 1 Apr 2010 – The US is the only world power that can help Israelis and Palestinians achieve peace. Few dispute the unique American standing. For the US to be able to help shepherd a serious peace process, the trust…
Lebanon Prepares for Summer Tourist Invasion
The Media Line 31 Mar 2010 – Years after the war with Israel, the ‘Switzerland of the Middle East’ makes a major bounce back. Lebanon’s tourism industry saw a major rebound in 2009, the World Tourism Organization announced this week.The tourism monitoring group…
Hamas Set to Carry Out Executions
The Media Line 31 Mar 2010 – Rights groups call on the de facto Gaza government to halt the announced hangings. A number of Palestinian and international human rights groups have called on Hamas not to go through with over a dozen executions…
Another European Fund Divests from Israel
The Media Line 31 Mar 2010 – Swedish pension giant bans investment in Israeli defense company. Sweden’s largest pension funds have elected to remove Israeli defense electronics company Elbit Systems from its investment portfolios over its involvement in the construction and operation of…
China Backs New Iran Sanctions
The Media Line 31 Mar 2010 – China has dropped its opposition to a new round of sanctions against Iran, clearing the way for more international pressure aimed at curtailing the Iranian nuclear program. U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton told reporters at…
Palestinian Christians Allowed to Enter Jerusalem for Easter
The Media Line 31 Mar 2010 – Israel is lifting travel restrictions that would prevent Palestinian Christians who live in the West Bank from attending Easter festivities in Jerusalem. Easter falls during the Jewish holiday of Passover, during which time there is a…
Fatah official shuns Israeli court
AlJazeera 31 Mar 2010 – Abbas Zaki, detained after rally in Bethlehem, refuses to appear before a military judge.
China ‘to discuss Iran sanctions’
AlJazeera 1 Apr 2010 – US says China on board to discuss possible measures as Iranian official visits Beijing.
Israel pounds Gaza with missiles
AlJazeera 1 Apr 2010 – Three children hurt in series of air raids following rocket fired from Gaza into Israel.
Alternative Information Center
Open Letter to German Left Party (Die Linke)
Alternative Information Center – Thursday, 01 April 2010, Dear Friends, This letter is being sent to you by citizens of the state of Israel who are active in various Left groups and on a variety of topics throughout Israel and…
Fourth International Political Field Seminar
Alternative Information Center – Wednesday, 31 March 2010, Fourth International Political Field Seminar Bridges Instead of Walls! 9th May 2010 – 15th May 2010 Organized by the Alternative Information Center Introduction In an increasingly globalized world, it is often the…
Israel’s Inclusion in Economic Organization a Threat to Democracy
Alternative Information Center – Sunday, 28 March 2010, Membership in the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD), which includes 30 of the world’s most developed countries, does not provide money or any special economic benefits. Yet it is easy…
Palestine Network Founder Dr. Saad Saad Completes 5 Volunteer Surgeries in Jerusalem
PNN – Thursday, 01 April 2010
Palestinians: IDF drops leaflets over Gaza warning of imminent attack
PNN – Thursday, 01 April 2010
Swedish fashion chain H&M under pressure
PNN – Thursday, 01 April 2010
Fatah official shuns Israeli court
PNN – Wednesday, 31 March 2010
IAF strikes in Gaza after Kassam attack
Jeruslalem Post 1 Apr 2010 – Israel fears new wave of Hamas attacks due to pressure from rival groups.
Likud MKs to PM: Don’t capitulate
Jeruslalem Post 1 Apr 2010 – 20,000 gather at Cave of Patriarchs in Hebron; Bus stoned in PA sector.
Israel fears new wave of Hamas attacks
Jeruslalem Post 1 Apr 2010 – Massive arms cache, including 100 anti-aircraft missiles, discovered in Sinai As Kassam lands in Negev, Russia urges Islamists to put a stop to rocket fire
J’lem doubts China will back sanctions
Jeruslalem Post 1 Apr 2010 – Beijing won’t say it has dropped opposition, but will attend US nuclear summit.
Israel says it’s planning new gestures
Jeruslalem Post 1 Apr 2010 – US has demanded Israel show commitment to peace; Top PA minister visits DC.
Fatah: We want a peaceful intifada
Jeruslalem Post 1 Apr 2010 – Nabil Shaath clarifies plans for upsurge in “popular resistance.”
Analysis: The Hariri tribunal goes hunting for Hizbullah
Jeruslalem Post 1 Apr 2010 – The prospect that Shi’ites might have killed the leader of the state’s Sunni Muslim community has prompted grave concern.
Israel to relaunch Bible Quiz for adults next Hanukka
Jeruslalem Post 1 Apr 2010 – After 29-year hiatus, Education Minister Sa’ar embraces “an additional tool for the strengthening of our roots.”
Egypt kills 3 African migrants in Sinai border ‘death zone’
Jeruslalem Post 1 Apr 2010 – Spate of shootings in last four days brings total this year to 12, says Human Rights Watch.
MSD: Demolitions in Jerusalem Increased to 110: 102 Housing Units
WAFA 1 Apr 2010 – JERUSALEM, April 1, (WAFA)- Al-Maqdese for Society Development (MSD) said that Israeli demolition operations in East Jerusalem in 2009 increased to 110: 102 housing units (located in 85
Palestinian Journalists Repeatedly Targeted by Israeli Army Gunfire during March
WAFA 1 Apr 2010 – PARIS, April 1, 2010 (WAFA)- Reporters Without Borders deplores the frequency of press freedom violations by the Israeli army, which routinely fire on Palestinian journalists. At least eight
Occupation Isn’t Beautiful: Activists Demonstrate for Stocking AHAVA
WAFA 1 Apr 2010 – NEW YORK, April 1, 2010 (WAFA)- Over two-dozen Palestine solidarity activists demonstrated outside of two Ricky’s NYC cosmetics stores in Manhattan, yesterday evening. Activists called on the store
Israeli Soldiers Ransack Palestinian Homes in Tuba village
WAFA 1 Apr 2010 – HEBRON, March 31, 2010 (WAFA)- Israeli Special Police Forces entered the Palestinian village of Tuba, in South Hebron Hills immediately east of Ma’on settlement, and destroyed household
Solution for Israel in New Government, Researchers Say
WAFA 1 Apr 2010 – RAMALLAH, March31, 2010(WAFA)- Researchers and academics participating in a workshop that the political situation faces an impasse that can be surpassed by a new government instead of the
CCI Increases by 0.26%, RCI Decreases by 0.29%, PCBS Says
WAFA 1 Apr 2010 – RAMALLAH, March 31, 2010 (WAFA)- Palestinian Central Bureau of Statistics (PCBS) reported Wednesday that Construction Cost Index (CCI) increased by 0.26%, While Road Cost Index (RCI) Decreased by
U.S. Consulate General, AMIDEAST Announce A-PLUS Program
WAFA 1 Apr 2010 – JERUSALEM, March 31, 2010 (WAFA)- In partnership with AMIDEAST, the U.S. Consulate General in Jerusalem formally announced the launch of the new American Palestinian Local University Scholarship
Settlers Try to Stop New Palestinian City
WAFA 1 Apr 2010 – TEL AVIV, March 31, 2010 (WAFA)- Some 60 Israeli right-wing activists from the ‘Youth for the Land of Israel’ movement arrived early Wednesday at deserted buildings near the West Bank town of Birzeit
EGYPT: Death Sentences Rise With Poverty
IPS CAIRO, Mar 31 (IPS) – Egyptian courts are handing down death sentences with “alarming frequency” as the state attempts to use capital punishment to stem rising crime rates.
MIDEAST: Palestinian Death Penalty Very Much Alive
IPS RAMALLAH, Mar 31 (IPS) – Last November, Muhammad Al Saba, 36, from Rafah in the southern Gaza Strip was sentenced to death by hanging by a military court in Gaza for alleged acts of “treason and collaborating with hostile forces.”
Palestinian Center for Human Rights
Weekly Report On Israeli Human Rights Violations in the Occupied Palestinian Territory (25-31 March 2010)
PCHR 31 Mar 2010 – Hisham al-Dgahma’s house, which was demolished by Israeli military bulldozers during an incursion into ‘Abassan village, east of Khan Yunis, 26 March 2010 Israeli Occupation Forces (IOF) Continue Systematic Attacks against Palestinian Civilians and Property in the Occupied Palestinian Territory (OPT)….
PCHR Concludes a Human Rights Training Course in Gaza
PCHR 31 Mar 2010 – Ref: 37/2010 PCHR Concludes a Human Rights Training Course in Gaza On Thursday, 01 April 2010, the Training Unit in the Palestinian Center for Human Rights (PCHR) concluded a training course in the field of human rights and gender issues, which was organized in cooperation with the Fares al-Arab Society in Gaza City. The 20-hour….
International Solidarity Movement
Gaza residents commemorate Land Day at Nahal Oz border crossing
4/1/2010 – International Solidarity Movement – ISM Gaza, 30 March – Palestinians in Gaza came out in large numbers for demonstrations commemorating Land Day, including one at Nahal Oz border crossing, east of Gaza City. In attendance were around 300 Palestinians and three ISM members. Unlike other demonstrations on Tuesday, no injuries were reported. However, several demonstrators reported nearly being hit with “warning shots” of live ammunition. As Palestinian and international demonstrators approached the Nahal Oz border, they were met by Israeli military waiting on the other side of the crossing. Activists, including a large group of women, carried banners condemning the Occupation and the Siege on Gaza. The group paused about 300 meters away from the border, where speeches were made about the significance of Land Day. As the demonstration progressed, two jeeps, two tanks and two vehicles used for soldier transport arrived.
Israeli soldiers ransack Palestinian homes and damage belongings in Tuba village
4/1/2010 – International Solidarity Movement – Christian Peacemaker Teams, 31 March – On March 31, the Israeli Special Police Forces entered the Palestinian village of Tuba, immediately east of Ma’on settlement, and destroyed household belongings in two homes in the village. The police forced Tuba residents from their homes and told them that they were searching for two goats which settlers from the outpost of Havat Ma’on had reported missing. The police also accused the villagers of possessing weapons, and while questioning nearly a dozen villagers, the police upended nearly every belonging in both homes. The police ransacked three bedrooms, a kitchen, and a storage unit. International activists and Tuba residents reported that the police left the scene without confiscating any weapons or sheep and without making any arrests. During the search police personnel refused to let international activists observe the search of the homes or the interrogations of the residents.
Budrus marks Land Day with olive tree planting and nonviolent resistance
4/1/2010 – International Solidarity Movement – 31 March – Nearly 100 residents of Budrus, Israli activist and internationals comemorated Land Day with a nonviolent march and tree planting action. The IOF used tear gas, sound bombs and rubber-coated steel bullets to violently repress the commemoration. Less than ten villagers were hit with rubber-coated steel bullets resulting in no serious injuries. About fifteen demonstrators were treated on-site for severe tear gas inhalation. There were no arrests made. As the IOF soldiers made their hasty retreat, the demonstrators happened upon the remnants of Israel’s vain attempt to suppress the nonviolent popular resistance. Three barrels of tear gas canisters had been left during the soldiers haphazard exit from the village. Each once housed 400 tear gas canisters and the evidence they had been filled to the brim was scatted about the farmfield.
Military Judge Criticizes Police; Releases the Bethlehem Ten
4/1/2010 – International Solidarity Movement – Popular Struggle Coordination Committee – Judge Dahan of the Ofer Military Court in the West Bank ordered the release of the ten peaceful demonstrators arrested in Bethlehem last Sunday, among them PLO Executive Committee’s Abbas Zaki. The judge criticized the police and prosecution saying that the protest was nonviolent, and that the only force used in it was that used by police to apprehend the demonstrators. After five long days in an Israeli military prison, the Bethlehem Ten were finally brought in front of a judge today at the Ofer military court. After hearing the arguments of both the military prosecution and the defense, the judge, Amir Dahan, decided to release all ten on bail and without posing restrictive release conditions. The judge also voiced his criticism of the police and prosecution by asserting in his decision that “There is no dispute that the. . .”
Qassam hits Israel after Russia urges Hamas to stop rocket fire
Ha’aretz 1 Apr 2010 – Russia to Hamas: Rocket fire against Israel must stop; Meshal: Hamas wants to maintain Gaza calm.
Israeli who trained Colombia guerillas wins appeal against extradition
Ha’aretz 1 Apr 2010 – Yair Klein was tried in absentia in 2001 for training ‘death squads’ linked to drug trafficking.
Diplomats: Western powers to begin drafting Iran sanctions next week
Ha’aretz 1 Apr 2010 – Iran nuclear negotiator meets Beijing officials; China says it prefers peaceful diplomacy to nuclear row.
U.S. Sen. Kerry: Syria is committed to peace
Ha’aretz 1 Apr 2010 – Kerry adds, however, that Washington is concerned about weapons flowing to Hezbollah.
New evidence emerges on fate of Raoul Wallenberg after WWII
Ha’aretz 1 Apr 2010 – The fate of Wallenberg, who saved thousands of Jews, has remained one of the great mysteries of WWII.
Shin Bet arrests Israeli Arab who threw explosives at Jewish towns
Ha’aretz 1 Apr 2010 – Kabat Jabarin, 31, told investigators that he carried out attacks after Temple Mount clashes.
Fighting Iranian fire with fire
Ha’aretz 1 Apr 2010 – Study by top U.S. strategic expert examines military options for dealing with Iran’s nuclear program.
Kusturica to set new film in Israel and West Bank
Ha’aretz 1 Apr 2010 – Director’s new film is a comedy about two Palestinian brothers trying to smuggle their father’s body from Jerusalem to Ramallah.
Four cups of wine not on menu for Mormon seder in Utah
Ha’aretz 1 Apr 2010 – Israelites who migrated to the New World were the ancestors of American Indians, according to the Book of Mormon.
A nuclear Iran / How far will the world go?
Ha’aretz 1 Apr 2010 – Six powers agree on new sanctions; sources in Jerusalem: U.S., EU secretly preparing for nuclear Iran.
Islamist Chechen rebels claim responsibility for Moscow attacks
Ha’aretz 1 Apr 2010 – In a video posted hours after second suicide attack, Chechen leader says they will not be the last.
Source: China agrees to new Iran sanctions
Ha’aretz 1 Apr 2010 – Six world powers to start preparing a UN Security Council resolution in next days; Obama insists a nuclear Iran is unacceptable.
Sarkozy ‘condemns Israeli construction in East Jerusalem’
Ha’aretz 1 Apr 2010 – French president, in press conference with Obama, says absence of Mideast peace ‘is a problem for all of us.’
U.S.: Iran sending weapons to Afghanistan fighters
Ha’aretz 1 Apr 2010 – Admiral Mike Mullen concerned that Iran’s desire to be influential in region is increasing.
Report: Iranian nuclear scientist defects to U.S.
Ha’aretz 1 Apr 2010 – Physicist defected as part of long-planned operation, has been debriefed by CIA, says ABC news.
US pushes Israel to freeze settlement construction
The Guardian 31 Mar 2010 – A four-month halt to building in East Jerusalem may be brokered by encouraging Palestinians to enter direct peace talks The US administration is pressing Israel for a four-month freeze on settlement construction in East Jerusalem and…
Israeli plastic surgeons allegedly let orderly operate for them
Ha’aretz 1 Apr 2010 – Plastic surgeons have allegedly been employing a certain orderly to perform surgery in their place, contrary to the law and at considerable risk to patients. …
Israel’s left and right fight it out on the radio
Ha’aretz 1 Apr 2010 – In September 2009, Amnon Holtzman went on the radio to respond to the obstreperous show hosted by Yoram Sheftel on 103 FM titled “Sheftel is Irritable.” The ensuing altercation led to mutual libel suits amid the argument about historical facts. It is doubtful such an argument could be settled in court. …
Jerusalem police step up safety measures ahead of Easter
Ha’aretz 1 Apr 2010 – With the calendars of Eastern and Western Rite churches aligning this year, Christians the world over will celebrate Easter Sunday this week. Ahead of the holiday, churches will hold Good Friday services to mark Jesus’ crucifixion and burial. …
Police probing Land Day protesters carrying Nasrallah poster
Ha’aretz 1 Apr 2010 – Police on Thursday opened an investigation into several unidentified men who waved posters of Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah and the organization’s terrorist mastermind, Imad Mughniyeh, at this week’s Land Day protests, police officials said. …
Likud MK: Not even ‘Hussein Obama’ will remove us from Hebron
Ha’aretz 1 Apr 2010 – Thousands of Israelis gathered Thursday at the Cave of the Patriarchs in the West Bank city of Hebron to celebrate the addition of the location to Israel’s list of national heritage sites, a move initiated by the Land of Israel caucus in the Knesset. …
Israeli warplanes bomb Gaza Strip, Palestinians say
YNet News 1 Apr 2010 – Week after two soldiers killed near Israel-Gaza border and few hours after Qassam hits south Israel, witnesses say IAF carried out at least five missile attacks on various targets; no immediate reports of casualties
Israeli moderately wounded by stones near Nablus
YNet News 1 Apr 2010 – Man sitting in backseat of his car with two kids suffers head injury after being pelted with stones, undergoes surgery
Israel ends probe into Palestinian protester’s death
YNet News 1 Apr 2010 – (Video) Army says tear gas canister that struck Bassem Abu Rahmeh in chest during anti-security barrier rally in Bilin was not intentionally aimed. Brother says, ‘Israeli justice system protests soldiers so they can continue killing innocent people’
West eyes Iran sanctions talks in NY next week, envoys say
YNet News 1 Apr 2010 – ‘It’s going to take a thorough effort at negotiation to get the strongest possible text,’ American official says. Lebanon, Turkey and Brazil likely to oppose measures against Tehran over nuclear program
Israeli mercenary won’t be extradited to Colombia
YNet News 1 Apr 2010 – European Human Rights Court rules against Russian decision to extradite ex-IDF senior officer Yair Klein to Colombia, where he is wanted for training militant squads employed by drug cartels. Klein’s attorney says client likely to return to Israel soon
Gaza rocket hits south; no injuries
YNet News 1 Apr 2010 – Qassam explodes in open area just hours after Russia’s Lavrov calls on Hamas’ Mashaal to stop ‘unconscionable firing of rockets’ on Israel
PA security forces conduct drill in Jenin
YNet News 1 Apr 2010 – Exercises throughout West Bank aimed at boosting forces’ image in eyes of younger population
March sees increase in terror
YNet News 1 Apr 2010 – More attacks compared to February to backdrop of heightened tension in Jerusalem, violence on Gaza border, rockets from Strip
Israeli judge orders release of Fatah leader
YNet News 1 Apr 2010 – Leftist who attended trial says judge criticized police, said ‘very clearly’ that protest march through West Bank checkpoint was peaceful
Stop the Wall Land Day and Global BDS Day Activities
Stop The Wall – Click here to see the full program – including 20 activities all over the West Bank -, which Stop the Wall and the popular committees against the Wall and the settlements are organizing to commemorate Land Day and join in the Global BDS Action Day. [
http://stopthewall.org/latestnews/2217.shtml
Stop The Wall – Israeli occupation forces arrested 11 Palestinians, including journalists and detained 5 Israelis and internationals. They were part of a protest-procession which moved today from the Church of the Nativity in Bethlehem towards Jerusalem under the banner of the call for freedom of religion and freedom of worship. [
Damascus committed to Mideast peace – Kerry
Daily Star 1 Apr 2010 DAMASCUS: US Senator John Kerry said on Thursday during a visit to Damascus that Syria is committed to engaging in peace making and is essential to the Mideast process. The Democratic senator, who is the chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, told reporters after a three-hour meeting with President Bashar Assad that Washington
Saudi ‘witchcraft’ beheading can still be stopped – Beirut
Daily Star 1 Apr 2010 DUBAI: Beirut’s envoy to Riyadh said on Thursday he has yet to be informed of a Saudi decision to behead a Lebanese former TV presenter convicted of sorcery, which was expected to be carried out this week. Ambassador Marwan Zein said that “until now, the embassy had not been informed” that Ali Sabat will be put to death imminently.
China agrees to meeting with West over Iran sanctions
Daily Star 1 Apr 2010 BEIJING: China has agreed to serious negotiations with Western powers about imposing new sanctions on Iran and President Hu Jintao will attend a multi-nation summit on nuclear security in Washington this month, officials said.The two moves should dilute tensions between Beijing and Washington after months of quarrels over the yuan currency.
Israeli judge orders release of detained Fatah leader
Daily Star 1 Apr 2010 OCCUPIED JERUSALEM: An Israeli military judge Thursday ordered the release of 10 Palestinians, including a senior Fatah official, detained at a protest march through a West Bank checkpoint, supporters said. A spokesman for the group who attended the military trial said the demonstrators, including senior Fatah leader Abbas Zaki, were ordered
Chinese leader to attend Washington nuclear meet
Daily Star 1 Apr 2010 BEIJING: Chinese President Hu Jintao will attend a summit on nuclear security in Washington this month, the Chinese Foreign Ministry said on Thursday, adding to signs that tensions between the two nations are ebbing. China had been coy for weeks about whether Hu would go to the multi-nation meeting hosted by President Barack Obama.
Egypt sex selection clinics engender controversy
Daily Star 1 Apr 2010 CAIRO: Some consider it medical progress, but baby gender selection in conservative Egypt has caused a stir among traditionalists who see it as an affront to ethics and have lashed out at clinics offering the service. Ashraf Sabry, a medical doctor, has defied social opposition and uses in vitro fertilization (IVF) technology to allow the sex of unborn babies
Palestinian Information Center
Hamas slams US proposal for freezing settlement for 4 months
PIC 1 Apr 2010 – Hamas condemned the US proposal for freezing settlement activities for four months in exchange for direct peace talks with the PA as a mockery of the Palestinian peoples’ rights and cause.
Ofer prisoners initiate protest steps, go on hunger strike
PIC 1 Apr 2010 – The Palestinian detainees in Ofer prison on Thursday started their protest steps and went on hunger strike, declaring that this step will be followed by other moves in all Israeli jails.
Khudari asks for practical steps to end the siege
PIC 1 Apr 2010 – MP Jamal Al-Khudari, the head of the popular committee against the siege, has urged the international officials who call for ending the siege on Gaza Strip to turn their words into deeds.
Qabha slams detention of Zaki, calls on Fatah to respond
PIC 1 Apr 2010 – Former minister Wasfi Qabha denounced the Israeli imprisonment of Fatah official Abbas Zaki and called on Fatah to respond to what happened to one of its leaders.
Palestinian villagers clash with IOF soldiers
PIC 1 Apr 2010 – Palestinian villagers in Safa town to the north of Al-Khalil city on Thursday clashed with Israeli occupation forces (IOF) and Jewish settlers who tried to enter their village.
Bahar hails British parliamentary report
PIC 1 Apr 2010 – Dr. Ahmed Bahar issued a press release on Wednesday lauding the British parliament’s call on the government to reconsider arms exports to Israel.
Hamas MP meets Red Cross representative over prisoners
PIC 1 Apr 2010 – Hamas MP in Bethlehem Khaled Tafesh on Wednesday discussed with the Red Cross representative in the city the conditions of Palestinian prisoners in Israeli occupation jails.
Sheikh Sabri: The Arab summit was not up to the size of the Zionist dangers
PIC 1 Apr 2010 – Sheikh Ikrima Sabri stated that the outcome of the recent Arab summit did not amount to the size of the Zionist dangers threatening the Palestinian cause and the Islamic and Christian holy sites.
IOF bombard Beit Lahia, round up six West Bankers
PIC 1 Apr 2010 – IOF fired tank shells at Beit Lahia to the north of the Gaza Strip at dawn Thursday as IOF gunboats opened heavy machineguns at Palestinian fishing boats west of the same area.
IOA closes Aqsa gates to block attempts to defend it
PIC 1 Apr 2010 – The IOA has decided to close all Aqsa Mosque gates with the exception of three to abort any attempt to defend it against the expected storming by Jewish fanatics of the holy compound on Thursday.
Two Iranian teens, two reactions to their father’s jailing
LA Times 1 Apr 2010 – Prominent economist Saeed Laylaz was taken to notorious Evin Prison amid last year’s postelection unrest. Now his son believes speaking out is futile, and his daughter can’t imagine doing otherwise. ‘Daddy, don’t you confess!” she implored over the phone, the outburst of an impulsive teen.
China Agrees to Consider Steps on Iran
New York Times 31 Mar 2010 – China seems to have moved closer to backing sanctions against Iran over its nuclear program.
Obama Expects U.N. Sanctions on Iran Soon
New York Times 31 Mar 2010 – The president said he would be able to persuade the United Nations to “move forcefully” against Iran within weeks in an effort to halt its nuclear program.
Several Wounded in Gaza by Israeli Gunfire
New York Times 30 Mar 2010 – Several Palestinians were wounded by Israeli army fire in Gaza as they demonstrated close to the border with Israel, according to Palestinian and Israeli officials.
Checkpoints
Palestine Monitor – 17 Dec 2010 – “The right to freedom of movement provides that people are entitled to move freely within the borders of the state, to leave any country and to return to their country.” Article 13 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and article 12 of the International Covenant…
Museum of desecration project
Mondoweiss – 1 Apr 2010 – We’re keeping an eye on the petition drive to stop the Simon Wiesenthal Center’s plan to turn an ancient Muslim cemetery in Jerusalem into a “Museum of Tolerance.” Well at left is a photo of the Mamilla cemetery (taken by the Al-Aqsa Association for Waqf and…
Judt: ‘de-legitimization issue is a fraud’
Mondoweiss – 1 Apr 2010 – The Forward has a pretty darn good piece on the delegitimization issue by Natan Guttman that alas quotes only Jews. I thought Palestinians and other non-Jews were in on this one too! But at least Guttman quotes some of the critics, not just the inevitable Reut…
‘NYT’ should get suicide-terror expert Pape to talk about ‘Palestinian resistance’
Mondoweiss – 1 Apr 2010 – Two days ago, Robert Pape (author of Dying to Win : The Strategic Logic of Suicide Terrorism) was on the Times op-ed page explaining the Chechnya-driven suicide bombings in Russia: As we have discovered in our research on Lebanon, the West Bank, Iraq, Afghanistan, Sri Lanka and…
Special relationships rarely last forever
Mondoweiss – 1 Apr 2010 – Tablet’s Lee Smith quotes Israel lobbyist Steve Rosen admitting that Israel has been thumbing its nose at the US president for 30 “productive” years i.e., no Palestinian self-determination to show for it and getting away with it: Obama chose to pick a fight with Israel, Rosen…
Land Day Commemorations in France in Support of BDS
Alternative Information Center – 1 Apr 2010 – Sunday, 28 March 2010, On March 30, Palestinian Land Day, there will be a large rally of all the people who refuse the repression and threats from our government against the people who join the Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions (BDS) Campaign. In less than three weeks,…
Bili’in as an Allegory: The Party is Over, Declares Netanyahu
Alternative Information Center – 1 Apr 2010 – Sunday, 28 March 2010, The decision to declare Bili’in and Na’alin as closed military zones for a period of six months (so far) has meaning that goes far beyond the weekly demonstrations held there for the past five years already. “The party is over” that…
Israel’s Inclusion in Economic Organization a Threat to Democracy
Alternative Information Center – 1 Apr 2010 – Sunday, 28 March 2010, Membership in the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD), which includes 30 of the world’s most developed countries, does not provide money or any special economic benefits. Yet it is easy to see why the Israeli government attributes great importance to…
Fourth International Political Field Seminar
Alternative Information Center – 1 Apr 2010 – Wednesday, 31 March 2010, Fourth International Political Field Seminar Bridges Instead of Walls! 9th May 2010 – 15th May 2010 Organized by the Alternative Information Center Introduction In an increasingly globalized world, it is often the case that quantity of information is privileged over quality. We…
Open Letter to German Left Party (Die Linke)
Alternative Information Center – 1 Apr 2010 – Thursday, 01 April 2010, Dear Friends, This letter is being sent to you by citizens of the state of Israel who are active in various Left groups and on a variety of topics throughout Israel and Palestine, including human rights, ecology, peace, support for refugees, social…
Articles
Out From the Shadows
Philip Weiss, The American Conservative 4/1/2010
AIPAC confronts its worst fear: daylight
In that radical handbook on the workings of American society, the Wizard of Oz never recovered once Dorothy pulled back the curtain of her own innocence. One would like to believe that AIPAC will never recover from a brutal spring that has exposed its real interests to the American public. Even supporters of the Jewish state have criticized the American Israel Public Affairs Committee for fully taking Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s side in his battle with Barack Obama over settlements, and during its recent annual conference, the lobby looked wobbly and defensive.
Yes, there was the usual procession of weak-kneed politicians professing love for Israel, not to mention AIPAC board members explaining how they cultivate “relationships” with the powerful. Yes, Sen. Chuck Schumer gave a bloodcurdling yowl, Am Yisroel Chaithe Jewish people live!as he pledged to be Israel’s guardian. But a large shift in American policy and opinion has left the lead institution of the lobby exposed, and worse, mocked.
AIPAC was taking on water before its VIP-studded conference began in late March. Important supporters of Israel in the media, including Jeffrey Goldberg of The Atlantic and David Remnick of The New Yorker, questioned whether reflexive support for Israel’s right-wing policies served the American interest, echoing the view of Gen. David Petraeus that the Palestinian problem is our problem in the battle for hearts and minds in the Middle East.
AIPAC designed its conference to defeat this understanding in Washington. Still it crept in and panicked the faithful. Alan Dershowitz and executive director Howard Kohr gave fiery speeches that sought to puncture the new conventional wisdom. It is “bigoted” to suggest that Israel is hurting the U.S. in the Middle East, Dershowitz said; the Arabs hate us because they hate freedom….more..e-mail
For Israel’s Arabs, Land Day is our narrative and our justice
Ahmed Tibi, Haaretz, Israeli Occupation Archive 4/1/2010
I remember the events of Land Day 1976 in particular detail. I was taking part in the demonstration in the center of Taibeh, just opposite the taxi station, when police began dispersing us with clubs, then shot and killed one of the demonstrators, Rafat Zohiri, in cold blood.
As on all such days marked by the Arab population of Israel, discussions on Land Day revolve around the question of Arab citizens’ place in Israeli society and also on our insistence on commemorating Nakba Day, Land Day and the riots of October 2000 every year.
These are important symbols of our existence on this land and of our civil rights, but most Jews see in this commemoration signs of the “isolationism” and the “ungratefulness” of the Arab population.
The simple truth that most refuse to recognize is that the root of the problem is not in the commemoration of these events, but rather in Israel’s ongoing discriminatory and exclusionary policies against the Arab population.
On Land Day, we protest against the widening policies of Judaization and the harsh inequalities in land distribution and residential expansion.
The facts speak for themselves. While a majority of the land was owned by Arabs when the country was founded, most property has since been expropriated. Only 2.5 percent remains under Arab ownership even though Arabs comprise 20 percent of the population.
As time goes on, the amount of land allocated to Arab citizens only shrinks, due to expropriation and Israel’s reticence to expand areas under Arab jurisdiction. — See also:Sourcemore..e-mail
The Armageddon Lobby: Dispensationalist Christian Zionism and the Shaping of US Policy Towards Israel-Palestine
Rammy M. Haija, Holy Land Studies: A Multidisciplinary Journal 5/1/2006
May 2006
This article investigates the history of contemporary Christian Zionism in the United States and the impact of this movement on US policy issues related to Israel-Palestine. Dispensationalist Christian Zionists, often described the ‘Armageddon lobby’, make up the largest voting bloc in the Republican Party and have become a mainstay in US politics. More recently, the Christian Zionist lobby has had a profoundly damaging impact on the Israeli-Palestinian ‘peace process’ as well as creating a conspiracy of silence regarding Israeli offensives in the occupied Palestinian territories. Though the ‘Armageddon lobby’ has been successful in its efforts as a pro-Israel lobby, its influence is in fact counterproductive to Israel because the lobby hinders the prospect of Israel living in peace because of their policy of deterring the progression of negotiations.
1. Introduction to Christian Zionism
While the alliance between America’s Christian Zionists and the pro-Israel lobby has been in existence for decades now, more recently it has become critical to examine this dynamic relationship because of the current volatile state resulting from the current Palestinian Intifada (uprising). With nearly 10 per cent of US voters declaring themselves as Zionist or dispensationalist [End Page 75] Christians, and another 35 per cent constituting mainstream Christianity, the Christian Zionist lobby has targeted both voting pools for its purpose of assembling a pro-Israel constituency among American voters through the promotion of biblical and dispensationalist doctrine.
There are many names and titles for the Christian Zionists in the United States. Some call them the ‘Armageddon Lobby’, others have referred to them as the ‘Christian AIPAC’. These nicknames are minor examples of the motives and unconditional support for Israel among the Christian-Right, which have made it an instrumental actor in a pro-US policy towards Israel….more..e-mail
Activists burst AIPAC conference’s bubble
Electronic Intifada: 1 Apr 2010 – Outside the Washington Convention Center, together with activists from CodePink, Veterans for Peace, Military Families Speak Out, Avaaz, Jewish Voice for Peace and the US Campaign to End the Israeli Occupation, we tried to bring a little reality to the AIPAC policy conference bubble. We carried signs and banners calling for respect for international law and human rights, an end to the siege of Gaza, Israeli apartheid and US taxpayer funding of war crimes.
A rare voice of courage: journalist Gideon Levy interviewed
Electronic Intifada: 31 Mar 2010 – Gideon Levy is a rare voice of courage in an Israeli media generally supine towards the political establishment. Since 1988, he has written the “Twilight Zone” column for the Israeli daily Haaretz , documenting unflinchingly the myriad cruelties inflicted on the Palestinian people under occupation. In his new book Gaza , a collection of articles which has just been published in French, Levy utters phrases that, by his own admission, are considered “insane” by most of his compatriots. The Electronic Intifada contributor David Cronin spoke with Gideon Levy about his background and journalism.
Swedish fashion chain H&M under pressure
Electronic Intifada: 31 Mar 2010 – More than a year ago, several concerned Swedish organizations asked fashion chain H&M about its plans to extend its franchise to Israel. H&M’s management denied the rumors but refused to provide written confirmation. In March, H&M unexpectedly opened a store in Tel Aviv and a second store in Jerusalem’s Malha shopping mall. Adri Nieuwhof reports for The Electronic Intifada.
Interview: Palestine a rich landscape for a mystery
Electronic Intifada: 31 Mar 2010 – Kate Raphael is a Palestine solidarity activist who is currently publishing a mystery novel entitled Murder Under the Bridge one chapter at a time on its own blog. The Electronic Intifada contributor Hannah Mermelstein interviewed Raphael about how the novel came about and where she hopes it will go.
IOF assaults on Land Day demos: 4 youths shot at close range
In Gaza: 30 Mar 2010 – Four non-violent demonstrators were shot at close range with live ammunition by Israeli soldiers during six simultaneous protests throughout the Gaza Strip commemorating “Land Day”. Three of those injured come from Khoza’a, a village east of Khan Younis in Gaza’s south. The fourth, from Deir al Balah, was participating in a peaceful demonstration east of Meghazi, central Gaza. The Khoza’a demonstration neared the border shortly after 12 noon. Israeli jeeps stopped along the Green Line border, their number increasing quickly. Israeli soldiers exited their jeeps and assumed sniper positions on a raised dirt mound and along the border fence. Jemah Najjar, 22, was the first to fasten a Palestinian flag to the border fence in today’s demonstration. He was also the first injured in the Khoza’a region, roughly 10 minutes after he had placed the flag on the fence, he estimates. Israeli soldiers repeatedly opened fire on the very visibly…
A Truthful Voice of the Palestinians Resonating Throughout the World
Palestine Chronicle: 1 Apr 2010 – Dear Friends, Readers and Supporters of the Palestine Chronicle, As we launch the first bi-annual fundraiser for 2010, the drums of war are again threatening the civilian population of Gaza. Now, more than ever, there is an urgent need for a voice that speaks the truth from Palestine. We believe that peace and justice in Palestine is key to peace and stability in the entire Middle East – even the world – thus the nature of our content. We take great pride in the fact that the Chronicle has never accepted (nor sought) funding from any governmental, political or factional group or organization. We are adamant regarding our independence. But this also presents the challenge of supporting ourselves, and that’s why we come to you, twice a year, to ask for your financial support to back us for another six months. Our goal is to raise $12,000 in the month…more
The Lobby vs. America: Netanyahu’s Lies and the Spineless Politicians
Palestine Chronicle: 1 Apr 2010 – By Ramzy Baroud As I listened to Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu address an animated crowed of supporters on March 22, I felt physically sick. The man has already displayed time and again a complete lack of moral sense or ethical framework in his words and actions. In his recent arguments, he once again twisted history, manipulated facts and fabricated his own selective, self-interested and highly questionable narrative. Netanyahu, a colonialist from a faraway land, also had the audacity to convince himself and a few others that he had legal, moral and historic rights over my land. While I am the son of a Palestinian family rooted in Palestine since time immemorial, Netanyahu is the son of an immigrant from Lithuania. While he giddily robs more Palestinian land in Jerusalem, I live in exile. Netanyahu was addressing the annual conference of the American Israel Public Affairs Committee (AIPAC). The ‘powerful’…more
The Middle East Goes to Hollywood
Palestine Chronicle: 1 Apr 2010 – By James Gundun – Washington D.C. From the beginning the White House’s announcement of ‘indirect talks’ between Israel and the Palestinians felt like entering a theater rather than sitting down to a real negotiating table. The gap in perceptions was immediately noticeable. US and Israeli officials spoke of a breakthrough and returning to direct negotiations as quick as possible, political speak for continued disagreement on settlements and Jerusalem, among other issues. Meanwhile Palestinian and Arab League officials warned, whether they meant it or not, that this was America’s last chance to adopt an equal position to the conflict. But everyone shared a commonality – desperation – that drove them to act. As March transpired it became evident that people around the world had walked into a multiplex, not a singular theater. We aren’t watching one show, but a handful running simultaneously. One version plays the US-Israeli “crisis,” another the “fake…more
The New Dark Age 
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